Tweet for a living?

copynomad · **Joined:** Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:07 am **Posts:** 623

Quote:

Not every company has the staff to write with the tact and brevity that a Tweet requires. That's why David Brown started Twit4hire, which launched just last week. His company aims to build clients, charging them thousands along the way, to broadcast tweets on their behalf. More than six companies have expressed interest and nearly 50 applicants have contacted him looking for a job as a professional Twitterer. "Many businesses don't have the resources to spend time writing tweets on a regular basis," Brown says. "Our service would build up followers for these companies."

So far, none of those who've expressed interest in Brown's plan have bitten. Perhaps that is because Twit4hire is so new, or perhaps because Twitter itself is still young.

Full article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/184656.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:29 pm

Quote:

So far, none of those who've expressed interest in Brown's plan have bitten. Perhaps that is because Twit4hire is so new, or perhaps because Twitter itself is still young.

Perhaps that is because they are not idiots after all.

Powderhorn · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:33 pm

"Twit4hire" belongs more with the Monty Python canon (if it isn't already) than a serious business venture.

Although I don't use Twitter, plenty of people just a few years younger (my wife included) seem to spend copious amounts of time on it (with it?), and thus it seems another medium for advertising that a skilled PR weasel could use to draw attention and interest to a company or product. But getting tweets through SMS costs money without a package, and running up customers' phone bills is unlikely to ingratiate anyone. Also, let's see how sticky Twitter is -- it may turn out to be this decade's ICQ, after all.

I can understand why some companies are curious but would guess that we'd see successful in-house Twitter use as proof of concept before outsourcing becomes a possibility, since someone with inside knowledge would probably produce better enticements than a freelance outsider. And once companies knew it worked, they'd likely hand that chunk of their advertising budget to, say, their ad agencies before a startup with no track record.

ndugan1 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:03 pm

Quote:

So far, none of those who've expressed interest in Brown's plan have bitten. Perhaps that is because Twit4hire is so new, or perhaps because Twitter itself is still young.

Or perhaps it's because Twitter itself hasn't come up with definitive ways to make money:

The Associated Press wrote:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter Inc. is a potluck of pithy self-expression simmering with whimsy, narcissism, voyeurism, hucksterism, tedium and sometimes useful information. One vital ingredient has been missing from the mix so far — revenue. That raises questions about whether the nearly 3-year-old service can make the leap from intriguing fad to sustainable business.

Twitter intends to start testing ways to make money this spring. And co-founder Evan Williams promises it won't drive away the more than 6 million people who have set up accounts on the unconventional communications network.

Williams, 36, won't say what he has in mind besides selling ads, but he and the handful of other people who own privately held Twitter seem confident the mystery strategy will pay off — even as a devastating recession destroys much-larger companies.

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:49 pm

Last graf crucial
Quite frankly, one of the most important things we do with Twitter is listen," says Dell's Pearson. "I don't think you can hire someone to listen for you." Message heard, loud and clear.

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